My 6 yr old Arab gelding FREAKS out when he is being ridden alone in the indoor arena and cannot see other horses-he doesn't have any particular buddy as I rotate his stall and paddocks quite frequently-but he whinnies constantly and will not listen to me-and even crow hops in trying to look out the arena gate. When he does this I circle him and try to divert his attention. This helps with the crow hopping-but he still whinnies and doesn't pay attention very well-any tips?
Answers:
Stalled:
Lack of trust in us by a horse is scarey. He cannot think when he is freaking.
Don't rotate stalls as you want horses to get used to a program, settle down and expect normal times and friends.It would be very good for him to develop a pal.
Put him in the area with another horse. Seriously. Tie a good horse safely, work steadily away and when he gets fussy move closer,ease his very real anxiety and gently work away. NO amount of punishment is going to regain your horse's confidence and attention: so go slow,enlist a steady buddys help, and when he can be weaned from its company you will have that safe,quiet, non freaky gelding again. Never use circles, backing or any other ability the horse has a punishment. Those are normal riding expectations and not to be abused. Backing or circles are good movements and should not be associated with bad behavior or anger.They might be a great emergency quick fix, but not a behavior changer.
Invoke happy good bonding feelings. After all,your trying to build a relationship as a steady trustworthy teacher. Give a little, get a lot. Meet his needs and when he does not need them so badly, you have won his heart. He has a personality, too! Arabs are affectionate..its one of their great charms.
You should work with him daily, seperating him from the other horses for a few hours at a time. Dont let him get away with this behavior because its a disipline problem, and he is not listing to you. When riding and working with him make sure you discipline him and let him know to respect you, don't let him walk all over you in any situation. Before riding try loungeing him in the indoor arena untill he settles down. This will take the edge off him, and make him concentrate more when you are riding.
If he whinnies while you are lounging, leading and groomming him, dont let him get away with this. Give him a smack on the shoulder and tell him no. Any time he is paying more attention to other horses then he is to you, you need to disipline him. Work on his ground manners, if you break him of these habits on the ground then riding him will be easier.
He's just not a people-horse. That's fine. Would you punish a horse who like people, but didn't like any horses? Try to work with him, let him know you're there for him, maybe let him get a horse friend. If he has one specific buddy, and the buddy is always there wen ur horse gets back to his stall, then he'll calm down and enjoy the ride!
Good answer , rsc!! Something else that works, is when he dosent listen to you... back him up. To a horse, that is punishment (without pain). You will get his attention back on you. He will soon learn, when he behaves.. he gets to see his buddies. Good luck with him.
This sounds more like a no-respect issue rather than seperation anxiety. I'd say some major ground work is in your future. But a great thing that works for a horse that pay's little to no attention is moving him in tight circles. This will also prevent him from crow-hopping or cow kicking. If you continue to let him get away with crow-hopping it's only a matter of time before he's bucking. Tight circles will discipline him and prevent those dangerous behaviors. You can also do circle's for when ever he whinnie's or goes to munching on nearby forage. Also, it wouldn't hurt for you to carry have mecate reins- you can use the mecate to lightly spank his butt every time he goes to crow-hopping and to get his feet moving when you are asking for him to circle.
You may also have a problem with boredom. Your horse may be needing a little bit more of a challenge. Add ground poles or obstacle's when you're riding. This will get his mind on his feet and the task you are asking of him and off his pasture mate's and freedom.
the simplest thing to do would be to take him out on some trails away from the other horses. trail riding is one of the best and simplest tools for training a horse. once they are away from home they start paying attention and it gets their mind off the other horses. it also gives them alot more new challenges that they dont get in the arena. my philosophy is that 1 hour on a trail is equal to 4 hours in the round pen/ arena.
My mare is a little like that. She whinnies often when I'm riding her. A trainer I know told me to tie her as far from the other horses as possible, and leave her (safely tied and supervised, of course) for a few hours a day. She said by the fifth day, the nervousness would go away, and she would grow independent of the other horses. Hopefully, your gelding will learn to leave the other horses out of his mind, and get to leaning more on you for companionship when you're with him. It takes time, but it might be worth it to try.
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